Sansevieria Snake Plant Propagation Tips

Sansevierias, or Snake Plants, are easy to care for houseplants. And propagating their leaves to make more plants is very easy.

Rooting snake plant cuttings in just water is almost foolproof. Take a healthy leaf cutting, place it in a jar of water, and keep it in indirect light. Watch as roots grow over time, providing you with a thriving new plant that’s ready for transplant into soil.

Having patience might be the hardest part.

Related reading: How to care for your Sansevieria.

Snake Plant Propagation Tips

• Tip 1: For the quickest results, use healthy leaves. When I say quickest, don’t expect overnight results. Snake plant cuttings take a long time to root.
• Tip 2: It is important to keep the leaf cuttings in the same direction as they were on the plant. If you turn them upside-down, they will not root.
• Tip 3: Cut a v-shape notch on the bottom of the cuttings. This increases the surface area for roots to grow, and it also helps to keep track of which side is up and which end to put into the water or soil.
• Tip 4: The leaf top cuttings, with the pointy tip, tend to have the highest success rate and seem to grow roots and new leaves a bit sooner.
• Tip 5: If you propagate a variegated Snake plant, one with yellow leaf margins, new leaves that grow from those cuttings will not have those yellow edges.
  The only way to keep the variegation is to propagate your plant by division. To do this, gently separate a clump of leaves with roots from the main plant and repot in its own pot.

When people say Snake Plant propagation doesn’t work, it usually is because they didn’t wait long enough. Snake plants don’t grow roots overnight.

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Related reading: Popular types of Snake plants.

How to Propagate Snake Plant Leaves

You can propagate a single leaf and put it in a tall glass vase for dramatic effect. You can also cut the leaf into several smaller pieces. That way you will have more cuttings to grow more new plants from that one leaf.

Let all the cuttings dry out for a couple of days to let the cut ends callus over. This is important to prevent your cuttings from rotting. Don’t skip this step!

Water Propagation

To propagate cuttings in water, put them in a glass or jar with a bit of water and place them in bright, indirect light. Change the water regularly and wait for roots to grow to about 1-2 inches long before potting up in soil.

Propagate Cuttings in Soil

You can also propagate your cuttings directly in soil. This method skips the water part.

To propagate in soil, place the callused cuttings in a small pot with fresh well-draining succulent soil. Keep in bright, indirect light. Mist or water very sparingly. Resume regular watering when you see new growth.

The original leaf cutting itself won’t grow anymore. Unless it was the tip of the leaf and the tip is still intact. Once you see a new leaf growing, you can cut the original cutting down if you want to.

To speed up the propagation process, you can use a rooting hormone powder on your cuttings. Dip the bottom of the cuttings in water, then dip them in rooting powder before planting. 

Read more: The complete guide to succulent propagation.

Why isn’t your Snake Plant Cutting growing Roots?

It can happen. Occasionally. Not every piece of leaf is the same. Some cuttings might just not take as well as others.

But usually, the answer to why your snake plant cutting isn’t growing roots is that you should give it more time. Snake plant cuttings take a long time to grow roots. As long as the cutting is not rotting and the water is kept fresh, roots could still appear.

Cuttings get Soggy and Brown

There is a problem when cuttings become mushy starting from the bottom up, and eventually turn brown or black. This means it is rotting. If this happens it most likely is because the cut hadn’t dried enough before being put in water.

You might still be able to save the cutting if it has turned soggy. Remove it from the water asap and cut the rotten part off. If there is still a decent bit of leaf left, you can start over and try again!

When cuttings planted directly in soil start rotting it is usually an indication that they have been overwatered. This can be caused when you are watering the cuttings too often, or when they are in a pot without drainage holes on the bottom.

Read more: How and when to water succulents.

Related reading: Are Snake Plants Toxic to Pets?